Archetype
Description
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A reinforcing loop is naturally a growth-seeking system. As A increases it causes B to increase.
The increase in B in turn causes A to increases even further, which in turn (over time) causes B to
..... and so on. This same structure can also become vicious and work the other way. As A
decreases, it causes B to decline and as B decreases it in turn causes A to decline even further
(refer to Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law story).
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Behaviour over time
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The behaviour that results from a reinforcing loop is either
accelerating growth or decline. At first nothing seems to be
happening. After considerable delay, all of a sudden it grows
(or declines) quickly taking people by surprise.
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Commonly used words or
early warning symptoms
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Virtuous Cycles
Viscious Cycles
"Snowball effect"
"Bandwagon effect"
"The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer"
"The rats are jumping ship"
In business we know "momentum is everything"
Positive word of mouth produced rapidly rising sales of Volkswagen during the 1950s and
videocassette recorders during the 1980s
Word of mouth can easily work in reverse, and (as occurred with contaminated over-the-counter
drugs) produce marketplace disaster
By the time the problem is noticed, it may be too late. Extinctions of species often follow patterns
of slow, gradually accelerating decline over long time periods, then rapid demise. So do
extinctions of corporations.
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Example(s)
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“Mother-in-law (MIL) and daughter-in-law” (DIL) story: The "Healing Poison"
MIL and DIL do not get along and DIL decides to “finish off” her MIL. DIL seeks help from an
uncle who prescribes a slow acting poison that will take effect in 6 months, instructs DIL to serve it
in hot milk to MIL every night with a smile. MIL takes to the 'hot milk with smile' treatment from
DIL, starts cooking hot diners that are served upon DIL's arrival home from work. MIL and DIL
relationship improves to incorporate shopping and mahjong outings. After 5 months, DIL
suddenly realises she does not want MIL to die. Uncle informs her the 'poison' was vitamin C and it
was the change in behaviour from DIL (smile) that revered the vicious cycle and in its place we
now have a virtuous one.
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Tips to note when using
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Use of the metaphor of "the trim tab" with (+) "boiling the frog" to reverse the effects of the
vicious cycles.
Use of small, but well-focussed but persistent actions as well as to continue the actions till the
structures overcomes the delays built-in within the structure.
An excerpt from Peter's book on the trim tab:
The concept of leverage points is so powerful that Peter Senge, in The Fifth Discipline: The
Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, devotes an entire chapter to the subject.
This chapter, titled The Principle of Leverage, opens with these words:
"The bottom line of systems thinking is leverage—seeing where actions and changes in
structures can lead to significant, enduring improvements. Often leverage follows the
principle of economy of means: where the best results come not from large-scale efforts
but from small well-focused actions. Our nonsystematic ways of thinking are so
damaging specifically because they consistently lead us to focus on low leverage
changes: we focus on symptoms where the stress is greatest. We repair or ameliorate
the symptoms. But such efforts only make matters better in the short run, at best, and
worse in the long run.
"It's hard to disagree with the principle of leverage. But the leverage in most real-life
systems, such as most organizations, is not obvious to most of the actors in those
systems. They don't see the 'structures' underlying their actions."
Peter closes the chapter with this observation:
"The essence of mastering systems thinking as a management discipline lies in seeing
patterns where others see only events and forces to react to."
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What is the thinking?
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“It feels like it is growing (for better or for worse)”
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Managing the intervention
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You can detect this kind of loop at work simply by sensing exponential growth or collapse (such
as rapid spread of an exciting new idea, or a company that suddenly goes out of business)
Intervention in the case of vicious cycle:
Reverse the behaviour of the variable (at any one end of the loop – it does not matter which end).
Do not cut the loop
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